Governor Mead says a study shows that a Medicaid expansion could be costly

According to a study conducted for the state of Wyoming, expanding Medicaid could cost the state millions.

Governor Matt Mead says the study shows that the Affordable Care Act will force the state to expand Medicaid coverage to some current children and adults between the years 2014 and 2020. But if Wyoming decides to follow the federal proposal to expand even further. Mead says the state’s share of costs will be high.

“There projections are from 2014 to 2020 the cost to the state of Wyoming for Medicaid expansion could be between 53 million and 310 million dollars. “

The study suggests that actual costs would be somewhere between those two numbers.

Mead said that the state is also facing a number of deadlines concerning what Wyoming will do about Medicaid Expansion and whether the state wants the federal government to run an on-line marketplace known as a Health Insurance Exchange.

Mead wants to know what a federal exchange would do for the state versus Wyoming setting up its own or partnering with another state. But federal officials have not answered the questions he submitted in early July. Since he’s not getting answers, the Governor doesn’t think states should have to follow federal deadlines.

“There are questions to be answered. And we haven’t gotten answers to those questions. I don’t think it’s reasonable for the federal government to say we have to make very big decisions that could impact our state budget and impact the quality of our health delivery system in Wyoming.”

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